Can you wash the towels or rags that you use for waxing furniture?

“Can you wash the towels or rags that you use for waxing furniture?”

That is a question I am often asked. My response is yes….BUT! …..I would NOT wash them in my washing machine or place them in my clothes dryer.

Here is what you should do:

Cheese cloth for shopping cartPlace the dirty towels in a plastic bucket (the kind you would use to wash your car) and fill it with really hot – hot water and dish soap. (use a dish soap that contains a degreaser like Dawn Platinum.) Then swirl them around using a wooden stick. Make sure there enough hot water that it covers the towels totally and they have room to agitate.

Dawn Platinum The Purple Painted Lady to clean dirty wax rags

Once the hot water cools a bit, feel free to ring them out. Then- (and VERY important) …hang them on a clothes line to dry.

Two important reasons why NOT to use your washing machine or dryer! 1. you do not want any residual wax getting in your washer or dryer- where it could then transfer onto your nice clothes! 2. wax can be flammable. (So, with that said- let’s keep it away from a heat source – like a dryer.)

Better Than Cheese Cloth The Purple Painted LadyClick HERE to access the Better Than Cheesecloth available on our website to buy.

Click HERE to access the Cheesecloth available on our website to buy.

How To Hold Your Ultimate Wax Brush In Your Hand

Do you use an Ultimate Wax Brush?

Hopefully you said YES since I strongly recommend that you use one. It will help insure that your wax application is applied correctly. CLICK HERE to watch my video on how to properly apply clear wax.

Holding your wax brush properly when applying your wax can make a big difference in regards to how your hand will feel after waxing a dresser or – a whole set of kitchen cabinets. It will also make a difference in your experience using Annie Sloan’s products.

If you are gripping the handle of the wax brush too hard- it will strain the muscles and your hand will cramp up and feel sore afterward or the day after. If this happens to you- you should consider holding your Ultimate Wax Brush the way I suggest which will then make your waxing effortless and easy on your wrist.

First- let me show you how NOT to hold it. (see photo below)

Wrong way to hold Wax Brush

Again, I do NOT recommend holding your wax brush as shown above. When gripping and clenching- it causes strain on your muscles and will tire your hand. Ultimately, causing your hand to cramp.

I suggest to hold your wax brush where the handle naturally rests in the crook between your thumb and index finger like I show in the photo BELOW. Slightly wrap or cup your fingers around the outer edge- and voila…. you are ready to wax & roll!

How to hold a wax brush

Hope this quick tip helps you! I post weekly on Facebook ideas and suggestions. If you would like to be included, click HERE and then LIKE my page so you see my posts in your facebook updates.

Thanks again,
Tricia
The Purple Painted Lady

Smooth as Glass Waxed Finish- try this!

Want your pieces painted with Chalk Paint® and CLEAR Waxed to feel smooth as glass?

Try our Steel Wool Grade 000 (link to our on-line store is noted below.) Pads are packaged and sold in poly sleeves, each sleeve contains 16 pads. Cost is $5.95 for the whole sleeve. This is a great deal and these will last you a long time.
Steel wool

DIRECTIONS:

1. After you have applied your clear wax and removed the residual from your whole piece- go back and use one steel wool Grade 000 pad.
2. I recommend using the steel wool once you have finished waxing the whole piece- because if you are applying the wax correctly- your piece should be totally dry.
3. Now take one steel wool pad and gently wipe your piece in the same direction as the grain of your brush strokes – from edge to edge. Do this just for a few swipes and then stop and feel. I like to glide the top of my hand over it to gauge how smooth it now is. Do you like the touch of it?

Just an FYI – one steel wool pad will easily do a whole dresser. But save the pad and use it for your next project that is of the same Chalk Paint® color.

This grade of steel wool will polish your clear wax and you will be in awe of the finish your painted and clear waxed piece now has.

BE AWARE!:

* First time using? Do this in an area on the piece that is less conspicuous, compared to the top of your piece or front dresser drawer. (just like as I recommend trying Dark Wax the first time- experiment on a little cheap item first or paint the back of the piece and wax it- so you can practice techniques there.)
* Have you noticed in all my instructions, I keep stating CLEAR wax? That is because if you try this on Dark Wax and it has not cured- depending on the amount applied- you can start to lift some of the dark wax. Again- practice or start on the back first.
* Don’t scrub in a circular motion. I like to wipe the steel wool pads in the direction (or the grain) of my brush strokes.
* Using the steel wool pads will create a little sheen in the wax. So, if you are looking to keep a flat, matte finish, you have been forewarned. : )

Rhodes American Steel Wool is the choice of professionals and do-it-yourselfers for wood finishing projects, as well as for cleaning, polishing and refinishing. There are 16 pads per poly sleeve. Cost is $5.95 for the whole sleeve.

* High Quality Steel Wool
* Great Tool for Surface Preparation

In the picture showcasing the steel wool above … you see a drawer that I painted.

I first painted the dresser with Louis Blue, then Greek Blue, finished with a coat of Florence Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan. One coat of each color.

Then I next used sandpaper (I think some 180 grit) and sanded back the edges and corners to give it a worn, aged effect. Some pieces evolve, so I then waxed the dresser thinking I was done – BUT I WASN’T. I realized I wanted some of the base wood to show through. Since I already had 3 solid coats of Chalk Paint® and had waxed the dresser a few days ago, I took a pad of sandpaper with an aggressive grit of only 80 and sanded the flat surface aggressively in the areas to reveal more of the colors beneath and the wood base. In the areas I wanted the wood of the piece to show- so you and where I used the aggressive grit sandpaper- you can see how I revealed that.

Lastly, I applied my clear wax exactly as I demo in my VIDEO HERE. Once I had the clear wax completed- (which means it does not feel tacky and my fingers can glide across the surface) – I then lightly polished the drawer with some of the Grade 000 steel wool.

You will immediately feel a difference. The wax finish will be like glass!